1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless terminal device performing a wireless network communication function and a method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wireless terminal device which supports a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, which are incorporated herein by reference, selects a standard that is most appropriate to a current communication environment, and performs a wireless network communication function according to the selected standard, and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A high-speed wireless network, which establishes a network environment by using waves or light instead of a cable, has been increasingly utilized in many areas. Since the wireless network requires no cable distributing work, it can facilitate a network establishment. Also, since it is operated at broadband radio wave (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz), it is possible to transmit data at high rate of 11 Mbps to 54 Mbps. A method for establishing the wireless network comprises an ad-hoc method as used in transmitting data among laptop computers through a wireless LAN card only, and an infrastructure method which uses an access point (AP) to connect to a wired network.
FIG. 1A is a view illustrating a wireless network system which adopts the ad-hoc method for communication. As shown in FIG. 11A, respective wireless nodes, such as a PC 11, a laptop computer 12, and a multi-function peripheral device 13, directly communicate to one another without passing though an extra central management device.
FIG. 1B is a view illustrating a wireless network system which adopts the infrastructure method for communication. Referring to FIG. 1B, a wired infrastructure, in which respective nodes 21, 22, 23 such as PCs and a server are connected to one another via wires, further comprises an access point (AP) 20. The AP 20 is a device that connects wireless nodes such as a laptop computer, a PC, a multi-function peripheral device to a wired infrastructure. Accordingly, the respective wireless nodes 30, 40 indirectly communicate with each other through the AP.
Communications among the respective wireless nodes of the ad-hoc method and communications between the AP and the respective wireless node of the infrastructure method are performed according to various WLAN standards. The WLAN standards, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference, are largely classified into the IEEE 802.11 standard as used in the U.S.A., hyper LAN standard as used in Europe, and the MMAC-PC standard as used in Japan. Among these standards, the IEEE 802.11 standard is popular in the U.S.A. and Asia, and is classified into 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g.
A user of a terminal device, which supports the wireless network function, sets a predetermined communication profile to perform a communication according to a predetermined WLAN standard. The communication profile comprises a Service Set Identification (SSID), an operation mode, a channel type, and security information. The terminal device selects one of the above-described WLAN standards based on the set profile to perform the communication.
If a wireless terminal device supports both the ad-hoc method and the infrastructure method, a user selects an operation mode and selectively adopts the two methods. However, the conventional wireless terminal device still maintains a current WLAN standard although the operation mode is changed. In this case, if the wireless terminal device is situated in an environment where various APs coexist to support different WLAN standards or a single AP supports different WLAN standards exists, frequency interference among the WLAN standards occurs. To this end, noises occur and thus a communication condition deteriorates. Also, a radio frequency resource is ineffectively utilized.
Also, changes occur in a network environment due to a newly set communication profile, but a conventional wireless terminal device maintains a current WLAN standard, and thus, it cannot be operated smoothly. Even if the wireless terminal device is designed to support a different WLAN standard, a user has to directly search for a current communicable standard and update the profile.